Divisions

Part 3- Chapter 11

Natalia

Four days later.

"Natalia, where have you been?" Ricardo asked, walking into my room.

I was silent. Ricardo moved to sit next to me on my bed.

"Talk to me," he said, slightly frustrated.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Rick..."

"I had to hear this from someone else, but apparently you were given a tip about the investigation?"

"It was a dead-end,"

"But you went with Jarred Dunn?"

"No... well, I didn't want him to, but he came,"

"And you didn't even think to tell me?"

"Rick..."

"Natalia, what's the point of us being together if you won't trust me? If you'd just told me, I'd have gone with you, anywhere,"

"But you would not have wanted to come," I said, remembering what had happened.

"Look, Nat," he said, "Whether I wanted to go or not is not the problem. The problem is you have not spoken to me in so long. I have been calling the past few days and you have not picked up. You haven't told me what's wrong or anything...how am I supposed to help you if I never know what you're doing?"

I was silent.

He got up off the bed and paced the room.

"Is it something I did?" he sighed, hands in the air.

"No." I said, slowly. "It's something you didn't do."

I thought about that evening, the desperate attempts I had made to call him.

He hadn't responded.

"Natalia," he began. "I need you to trust me. I need you to tell me things. I do not know what I have done to make you mistrust me so much... I'm meant to be your partner in this. Why aren't we communicating?"

I thought about telling him what Mr. Sanders had said, but I remember what Jarryd had said. I could only really support him with that he knew already.

"I'm sorry." I said again. "It's just that everything's stressed me out. "

"So it's stressed you enough to tell Jarred, but not me?"

"I never told Jarred, Rick. He found out on his own. He's an IDA agent, his job was to source information, "

"You still haven't answered my question, Nat.," he said, his breathing ragged.

"My informant refused to hear from anyone else, so when Jarred followed me that night, he refused to speak," I said, the lie effortless. "Had I told you, I would have just made everything worse, do you understand?"

He nodded.

"You still could have told me though. I have told you so many times to trust me Nat. It feels like there is a wall between us, one you keep building higher and higher..."

There was a buzz, a notification on my phone.

"It's Dunn, isn't it? Ricardo asked

I opened my phone. The name Batiso flashed on the screen. Ms. Sullivan's contact.

"It's not important," I lied.

"But is it Jarred Dunn?" he pressured.

"No! Why are you making everything about him, Ricardo?" I raised my voice, having had enough.